Gov. Abbott signs Texas DOGE bill
Abbott signs Texas DOGE bill
SB 14 became the first bill from the current legislative session to be signed into law by the governor. The bill is a Texas version of the controversial "Department of Government Efficiency" created by President Trump and run by Elon Musk.
AUSTIN, Texas - Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed a bill establishing the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office.
Abbott was joined by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows for the signing.
What they're saying:
"The regulatory environment in Texas is well known for being good, but it seems like it's not as easy to navigate as it once was," Abbott said. "A study came out that showed that Texas had the fifth-highest regulatory burden of any state in the United States. Completely unacceptable."
Abbott said the new office will "slash regulations" and put stricter standards on new regulations.
Patrick called the bill "DOGE, Texas style," a nod to the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
Gov. Abbott signs bill creating DOGE-style office: FULL
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that forms the state's own version of DOGE. Senate Bill 14 creates a Texas efficiency office that looks to cut wasteful spending in the state.
"We want to have a clear review of all our agencies," Patrick said. "Where we can trim and how we can save businesses money. How we can save taxpayers money."
Patrick said the bill will make the government more transparent, attract more businesses and create more jobs.
"Texas businesses, Texas citizens, they deserve regulations that are plain English that you can understand what they mean," Burrows said. "They deserve to know that what they actually do, and they deserve to make sure they're consistent and as few as possible."
Texas DOGE: Senate Bill 14
Dig deeper:
Senate Bill 14 creates the new Texas Regulatory Office.
The office aims to streamline state regulations and eliminate unnecessary rules.
An advisory panel would be created to work with the governor to streamline processes. The panel would be made up of regulated business owners, researchers, state agencies and the public.
The bill also looks to establish an easily accessible online portal for the public to look up state regulations.
SB 14 was written by Weatherford Republican Phil King and backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
The bill passed the Texas House by a 97-51 vote and the Senate 26-5.
House Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency
The House has already created a committee to analyze efficiencies in the state's government.
The committee was established to look into claims of fraud, waste and abuse of state programs and "recommend appropriate legislation" or other ways to eliminate what they believe is fraud or waste and "promote the modernization and economically efficient administration of those programs and operations."
Members monitor the Department of Information Resources, the Sunset Advisory Commission and the Texas Space Commission.
The committee met for the first time on March 5 and focused on the state's IT department, the newly formed Space Commission, and the Sunset Advisory Commission.
The Source: Information on the bill signing comes from Gov. Abbott's office. Backstory on Texas DOGE and Senate Bill 14 comes from the Texas Legislature and previous FOX reporting.